Sunday, 20 September 2015

We're progressing slowly but surely though the planning of our little 'big day' and after giving notice of intent to get married today (EEEEKKKKK!) I thought it'd be a good time to reflect on some of the things I've learned so far with the good intentions that it may either help you OR give you a chuckle. Either way!

1) Weddings are crazy expensive. Seriously consider elopement. Like seriously. It wasn't something we chose as Harps has quite a large family, but there have been times where we've both agreed it would have been much MUCH cheaper to disappear just the two of us.

2) Remember it's just one day of your lives! It is so easy to get carried away and before you know it you're demanding that you simply must hire 10 olive trees at a cost of over £250 for one day. You can live without olive trees if it means you can buy food for a month ok?

3) You simply cannot please everyone. And that's ok! Who cares if your distant relative that you've only ever seen at weddings and funerals isn't high up on your guest list! It's up to you if they're not even on it at all! Which brings me to...

4) There will be a lot of fluttering and influence from family and friends, make sure that the two of you do everything for you and not for keeping other people happy. They'll be happy if you are eventually!

5) Think carefully about the day of the week you're getting married. We just spent over £450 for a legal ceremony on a Saturday!

6) Hen do's have become hen weekends and hen holidays and hen space trips (ok the last one's an exaggeration) I had no idea of this until I'd started planning.

8) If you're having a marquee, it isn't as simple as getting a tent (yes I thought it was!)

9) It's so important to get wedding insurance. I compared on MoneySuperMarket.com and got a great deal at Debenhams and a £20 voucher that I used for some bridesmaids shoes!

10) Some wedding dresses make you look all sorts of crazy shapes. It's them, not you and you don't need that kind of negativity in your life or your wedding.

11) If you're not getting married in a traditional venue and need to provide your own booze, it's pricey so think carefully about how to do it.

12) Your wedding dress/outfit should make you feel like a total babe. Fact.

13) Being interviewed to give notice of intent to get married is scary. It may make you doubt your own name and get a little bit quaky when they tell you about bigamacy even though you know you've never been married.

14) Treat yourself to a special book for all your list making needs! I am so pleased that I have everything in one place!

16) There is so much choice for everything that planning a wedding is the best procrastination I've ever done. Spending a whole afternoon day looking at different types of table fabric is my idea of important Sunday work.

17) Most people that work in all types of the wedding industry are super nice. They want you to have the best day ever too! In my opinion, anyone at companies you want to get involved that aren't hugely helpful should be dumped. You can find another that you'll be much happier with in the long run!

18) Guest lists are probably the hardest, much more so when over time, people and relationships change.

19) Trying to train your stubborn house rabbit to any ounce of being able to be apart of the big day is impossible. Give up and watch Netflix. He's a rabbit, he can stay home.

20) Enjoy it all. It can be stressful and I've experienced ways why it can be, but at the end of the day, it's about the two of you and if you want pizza and swingball (yes we have both) then goddamit, have just that! It's one day of many wonderful and brilliant days ahead, don't panic!

Have any of you had any big lessons learnt in planning your wedding? Maybe some great advice from someone when you were?

Love Sophie Xx

*There is no affiliations with any of the brands listed, they're all just some I've used!

Friday, 18 September 2015

You'd have seen me mention Stacie a few times now. Not only a best friend, but an incredibly talented designer, Stacie has been nominated for an award! I'm obviously so incredibly proud of her for the hours of work that go into her design process, she deserves this accomplishment so very much. Which brings me to ask you, my friends, to have a little read of her work and click the little link near the bottom, pop in your email address (you won't be spammed, promise!) and vote for my best friend! Also take a chance to look at the other nominees, there are some other inspiring new designers in the mix.

Plymouth College of Art Graduate Nominated for London Fashion
Award.

Stacie Clark, a Cornish Fashion Design graduate from Plymouth College of Art has been
nominated for the Sponsor Me Awards taking place at Blackheath Halls in London next
month, October 7th.

The Sponsor Me Awards supports emerging fashion designers through providing a
prestigious annual event, fashion show and platform for them to showcase their work.

The awards consists of 4 categories, with 1 winner per category as decided by a public vote,
as well as 1 lucky designer who will also be presented with the Judges Choice Award on the
night.

Stacie’s knitwear collection has been selected to participate in the Urban category which is
open to public vote. To vote for Stacie Clark before 30th September when voting will close,
please visit h​ttp://sponsor­me­awards.biz/vote­for­designers/

“I’m thrilled to have been nominated for the Sponsor Me Awards and to have my work as a
designer recognised! I’ve spent the last year working on some freelance whilst developing
my next collection and winning this award would be great in helping me take those all
important next steps forward” Said Stacie.

Stacie graduated last year with a First Class Honors degree in Fashion from Plymouth
College of Art with her graduate collection which consisted of 19 garments crafted entirely by
hand and after receiving a great response at Graduate Fashion Week Stacie has had her
work featured in a number of publications.

Tickets for the Sponsor Me Awards event are on sale now and can be purchased at

My name is Sophie Louise Anne, I live in Cornwall with my pretty boy, Harps and my even prettier rabbit, Batman. I am often described as weird because of my love of cats, fancy dress, old people, tea, cake, dresses, T-Rex's and laughing at my own jokes. I'm a bit of a mind-wanderer, peacemaker, basic baker, tattoo addict, wanderluster and book worm. I really DISLIKE feet, any spoon larger than a teaspoon, mannequins, Nicholas Cage (Offensive face) and Arnold 'I'm a robot in real life' Schwarzenegger. Creep.
Have a gander about me right.. here.